Case 9: Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico

T hat people with few financial resources tend to be poorly educated, unhealthy, and malnourished has been often observed and frequently bemoaned but rarely tackled head-on. In the case of an antipoverty program in Mexico, however, policymakers chose a comprehensive—and ultimately successful—approach to address the basic causes of social problems (including health) facing many of the country’s most underprivileged citizens. The program, which initially was aimed at rural populations, showed such strong positive results in improving health and education outcomes in a rigorous evaluation that the government decided to expand it to cover poor families in urban areas. The story of this program—originally Case 9 Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico